CAMS ON A PLANE

Can anyone tell me if TSA has ever given them trouble for bringing a full trad rack on a plane? I'd like to carry on my gear instead of checking it.

I flew out of Albany with a full rack in September, and the only hassle was they took my nut tool since it was too long. They did run my bag back through a second time since it had so much metal in it.

That being said, I have heard of others being hassled, but if you are flying out of a small airport you might have better luck.

Thanks for the info BJ.

I'll be flying out of Charlotte Douglas, in North Carolina. Anyone have any specific experience in Charlotte or Phoenix?

I've never checked my rack and probably wouldn't fly with it if I had to. WAY to much money to trust it will end up on the other end.

Obviously don't put your chalk or chalk bag in with it, take your knife off and I usually throw and issue of climbing in the bag to help make things a little more self explanatory.

I called TSA one time asking about a rope and the girl couldn't get over the fact I wanted to bring a rope on board. Like I was a cowboy or something.

The one time I flew with ice gear I had to go to the TSA office at every airport I deboarded to pick up my back. They went through it every time.

I'm kind of expecting a Sam Jackson response to the cams in a carry on. I think I'll check them and take my chances.

Eric Robertson wrote:I'm kind of expecting a Sam Jackson response to the cams in a carry on. I think I'll check them and take my chances.

What sucks is if you put a lock on your bag, you should expect trouble. If you don't put a lock on your bag, expect to sweat the whole flight wondering if 2-4K have "flown" away.

This question comes up periodically. A few pages of good advice here .

Don't mess around, and check everything. I flew all over the place this summer with my entire rack, and climbing gear. Not one problem.

I flew to Phoenix Arizona last summer with a full rack and rope stuffed in a pack, put it on the conveyor belt at the security check in DIA and they didn't even make me open the pack. On the way back from Phoenix Arizona they made me empty the pack so they could do a visual inspection and I was on my way 5 min later.

I have flown with my rack several times. I have done the same thing every time over several years.

Have your rack out of your pack, show the agent, explain and answer their crazy questions when you tell them what it is. It's really pretty simple.

There are also several locks on the market that have a TSA accessible lock and even ones that will indicate if the lock has been opened. If you decide to check your rack.

I usually carry on my rack and my helmet, no problem.

I fly all the time between San Diego and Seattle with gear and have never had a problem. I usually even have my chalk bag in my carry-on. Last time I forgot to take my climbing knife off my harness and still didn't get stopped at security..

Flying back to LA from Denver I opened up my bag to discover that my GPS and headlamp were no longer where I put them. They were stored in the top lid pocket of my pack, which I checked. Fortunately the rest of my rack and rope were still there . . .

Beware checking stuff, and if you do, put the expensive toys towards the bottom of your bag. That way if the TSA guys feel the itch to stick something pricey in their pocket they'll at least have to be a bit more conspicuous by ripping your whole bag apart to get to it.

Kalil Oldham wrote: Geez, man. This is really nasty. Downright bigoted. Historically, we can see similar sentiments expressed toward pretty much every immigrant group that has turned up in the U.S. looking for new opportunities, fleeing chaos and persecution, and hoping to find peace and prosperity in the New World (e.g., Irish, German, Chinese, Italian, Russian, Mexican). I'm hoping against hope that the next generation will practice a little more tolerance. It's how we progress. Sorry, high school teacher at home on a snow day. Couldn't pass this up.

+1

Well, you shouldn't have any problems with bringing your rack as a carry-on, provided there's nothing sharp ie knives, in with it. I work at Grand Junction Airport and we get all the ice climbers from Ouray. As long as they check their tools and 'pons, and are willing to have their carry-on checked, things should work just fine. The reason most climbing gear gets searched is that it's a dense metal object passing through an x-ray machine. I routinely carry much of my climbing gear on with me, and I work for TSA. Check the sharp and pointy stuff and you should be fine.

Seems like if your leaving from a "climbers" airport they know whats going on. If you`re leaving from a place that climbing gear doesnt pass through frequently you`ll probably be hassled.

It helps to print the TSA prohibited items list and keep it with your carry on.

JFC, nobody is going to steal your rack at the airport. I just check that shit every time, the baggage guys and the TSA people are not a bunch of thieves, they all have gone through background checks its not like they hire these guys on the street daily. I'd rather carry on as little as possible. Unless you think you can avoid baggage fees, then its a whole new story. If I'm paying those bastards for a checked bag it will weigh 50 lbs and they will carry it for me.

One thing I read on the Runners World website (if you want to just check your rack with the rest of your baggage), is to put a gun (runnersworld.com suggested a starter gun that shoots blanks to signal the beginning of the race ~$40) in your baggage and declare it when you check your bags. The airlines have to go through a lot more trouble to track that bag when there is a "weapon" in it, so it's like insurance that it won't be lost. Just a thought. I tried to find the article on the website again, but no success.

Carry on shoes harness helmet. Separate gear such that checked bags are two separate complete sets so if one bag gets lost you can at least climb something while waiting for other bag to catch up to you i.e. one rope and half rack in one bag, one rope and half rack in another. I had a trip to Squamish delayed because we had our rack but neither of our two ropes. The more bags you check the more chance of one coming up lost.

I've carried a full rack on flights way to many times to count both domestic and International and had no problems.

I've flown with a trad rack as a carry on out of Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco, and Seattle. The only place where they looked twice was Atlanta. I had a copy of climbing magazine stuffed into the top of the pack so that they could see the gear in action. After much consultation with other TSA folks, they finally decided I was good to go.